There’s no doubt that the saints are an important part of the lives of Orthodox Christians today. We honor these saints throughout the year, and many are even named after them. Those who are named after a saint celebrate their name day on the saint’s feast day.

Saint Joseph is one of those saints. As the husband of Mary, Jesus’s mother, he also plays a role in Jesus’s life and is mentioned in the Bible itself. His feast day is on the first Sunday after the nativity. If there isn’t a Sunday that falls after the nativity, his feast day is celebrated on December 26th. Here’s more information about Saint Joseph:

About Saint Joseph

Saint Joseph, also referred to as Joseph the Betrothed, was betrothed to Mary when she found out that she was to be the mother of Jesus Christ. Not much is actually known about his early life, however, except that it is established that he is a member of King David’s line. Because of this, Jesus could trace his lineage through to King David, which fulfilled a prophecy that was outlined in the Old Testament by the Prophet Isiah. Essentially, the fact that Jesus could trace his lineage to King David was one of the reasons that we could establish that he is the Messiah.

Saint Joseph in the Bible

From the Book of Luke, however, we do know that Joseph came from Galilee. In the Book of Mark, we learn that Joseph eventually settled in Nazareth after the family moved there from Egypt. The Bible we do know that his character was described as “just” and that he was a carpenter. He fathered a four children with Mary. They were Joseph, James, Jude, and Simon and were Jesus’s half brothers. It is also though that the pair had a few daughters.

Hymns of Saint Joseph

There are some hymns that can be found in the Orthodox Christian church service that celebrate Saint Joseph. Here are the details:

Troparion (Tone 2)

Proclaim the wonder, O Joseph,

to David, the ancestor of God:

you saw a Virgin great with Child,

you gave glory with the shepherds,

you worshipped with the Magi,

you received the news from the angel.

Pray to Christ God to save our souls!

Kontakion (Tone 3)

Today godly David is filled with joy;

Joseph and James offer praise.

The glorious crown of their kinship with Christ fills them with great joy.